EP 23 Sarah Janin
Stronger with Confidence

01:09:26

Sarah is a Certified Rock Guide, Aspirant Splitboard Guide, Assistant Alpine Guide, Avalanche Instructor, and WFR Instructor who resides in Boulder Colorado. She is on the Weston Backcountry Guide Team and identifies as a type 1 diabetic. 

Sarah has a huge goal to become the first female AMGA certified splitboard guide and the first type 1 diabetic IFMGA mountain guide. 

Sarah has been a guide for a decade, starting at a small company in Vail, Colorado in which she was the only female guide and is now working as the only female full-time guide for Colorado Mountain School. Sarah has been  working hard to organize more women’s programs. One of her goals is to continue to empower and create a more open environment for all who identify as female.

Show Notes:

Sarah’s links:

Episode Intro:

Dear listeners of the Female Guides Requested Podcast. Happy Wednesday and happy Valentine’s Day. Our guest today is Sarah Janin from Boulder Colorado. A mutual friend highly recommended Sarah to me and I was so glad that I had the honor to interview her.

Many things about Sarah amaze me. She grew up on a small island and immediately fell in love with mountains and snow sports when she moved to Colorado. She can soon become the first female AMGA certified splitboard guide. She is also type 1 diabetic but she manages it well and is actively pursuing another big goal of hers to become the first type 1 diabetic IFMGA guide.

After many career changes, she found guiding at 35 and fell in love with it. Now at 45, Sarah appreciates that she started her guiding career later in life as she is still motivated and passionate to improve as a guide and does not feel burnt out. Right now Sarah is a Certified Rock Guide, Aspirant Splitboard Guide, Assistant Alpine Guide, Avalanche Instructor, and WFR Instructor. She works full time for Colorado Mountain School, and has been working hard to organize more women’s programs. One of her goals is to continue to empower and create a more open environment for all who identify as female.

I really enjoyed talking with Sarah. She emitted so much positive energy and has so much devotion to what she set her mind to do. Let’s dive in and I know you will be inspired by the conversation.

Things We Talked about:

  • From an island girl to a mountain girl
  • Growing up in the wilderness
  • Moved to CO and fell into with mountains and snow sports
  • Loved snowboarding
  • In order to extend winter, let’s go to South America
  • Compare skiing with snowboarding
  • Skis are better tool for guiding and the reasons…
  • It was an accident that Sarah became a guide
  • At some point decided to work for a company and stayed inside but the company sent her to Boulder CO
  • Speed up the AMGA track
  • Best part of guiding?
  • Want to show people the wilderness and the importance to preserve it
  • Did gender ever play a role in Sarah’s guiding career?
  • Has always worked in male-dominated fields
  • Confidence and determination helped
  • How to manage being type I diabetic?
  • How does it feel to instruct all female groups
  • Create a better environment for women
  • Approach to facilitate all women courses
  • How to turn experience into confidence
  • Found guiding relatively late
  • Motion is lotion
  • Next steps/goals
  • Proudest moment